Celebrate the holidays with Merry Montréal

Béatrice Bernard-Poulin

This article was updated on December 6, 2019.

Is it December already? It’s time to celebrate the holidays—and usher in a whole new decade—with the seventh edition of Merry Montréal, a sparkling seasonal event taking place in Old Montréal from December 19 to 31, 2019.

Once again this year, Place Jacques-Cartier and the Old Port will host a wide variety of free activities to get you into the holiday spirit. Put on your winter coat, toque and mittens, and come enjoy the festivities with family or friends.

Discover more with our partners

Advertising

1

Nordic Square at Place Jacques-Cartier

From December 19 to 29, Place Jacques-Cartier will transform into Nordic Square, a welcoming winter wonderland, every Thursday through Sunday. (Thursday and Friday: 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. / Saturday and Sunday: 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.)

The magic of the season awaits you here, along with Flocon, the friendly mascot. Be sure to treat yourself to a hot drink and make yourself comfortable around a crackling wood fire. There will be live bands playing everything from reggae to jazz to pure percussion. The experience promises to be fun for the whole family!

Other options include spreading some cheer at the Wish-A-Phone stations, catching a storytelling performance or heating yourself from the inside out with a winter Zumba class. You can even test your talent with glowing hula hoops!

Santa will be there with his elves on December 22, starting at 2 p.m.

Don’t forget to share the fun using the #merrymontreal hashtag!

2

Merry Montréal’s New Year’s Eve Party

On December 31, Merry Montréal is hosting the city’s biggest New Year’s Eve Party. And it’s absolutely free! The party gets started in the Old Port at 6 p.m. with entertainment hosted by well-known comedian Neev.

After the countdown to midnight, the sky will come alive with an impressive fireworks display designed to set the tone for the next decade—and for an unforgettable party! Do your winter boots double as dancing shoes? The massive outdoor dancefloor will be shaking until 2 a.m. with beats by DJ Magic Stan.

Other things to do in Old Montréal

Nowhere is the holiday spirit more alive than in enchanting Old Montréal. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year to stroll down the narrow streets and gaze at historic buildings decked out in cheerful decorations. Guidatour even offers a Christmas Secrets of Old Montréal walking tour.

Take your family’s holidays to new heights with Voiles en Voiles. This venue offers more than 15 different things to do in December, including snow tubing, two bouncy castles, two aerial courses and a snow scooter!

End your day with the Cité Mémoire projections, which bring the city’s history to life with more than 25 scenes on Fridays and Saturdays from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Béatrice Bernard-Poulin is always on the lookout for ideas on how to get more for less. She loves free events, public markets and taking long walks through Old Montréal. As an avid traveller, she always finds a way to stretch a dollar, peso, euro or yuan. In addition to writing for her eponymous blog, Béatrice is the author of Vivez mieux pour moins [Live Better on Less], published in 2018.